By the Side of the Pale faced Moon
by cynevie
Summary: Fate is what binds them [Juukazu][yaoi]
1. Look Over Here

Disclaimer: Nothing is mine, unfortunately. Not Kazuki, not Juubei, not even the title of the story, which is a line taken from Poe's poem "The Bells" (1849). Everything Get Backers belongs to Aoki Yuya and Ayamine Rando, the publishers of both anime and manga, and... well, not me.

_Note: Possibly a slight alternate universe, or alternate reality. I'll try to make it true to the canon as possible. But you know me and my mind. _

_Written for the "30 kisses" challenge over at Livejournal_

**BY THE SIDE OF THE PALE-FACED MOON**  
**Part 1. Look Over Here**  
(_summary: even when one is looking, they don't always notice_)

His house was very large and very old. It was also filled with all things large and old. Even the people were large and old. They would smile at him occasionally, they would coddled him plenty, but they were from a different Age entirely. It was hard for Kazuki to find friends of his own age. There were the help's children like Honda-san's three sons and the Kumamoto twins, but they seemed to never like it when Kazuki played with them. Well, it wasn't always like that of course. When they were very, very little, they played well together. But as they started to grow up, as little children should, they would look at him carefully and told him that they wouldn't know what to do.

"Where are you all heading, Akira?" Kazuki would call out to them.

"To the brook just over the hill. We're going to build a tree-house. There's a strong, old tree by the brook that will be perfect!" Yukiko, the butler's daughter would chirp in.

"That sounds fun!" Kazuki would say. "Can I come with you?" And Kazuki would see his friends become serious and nervous and silent for an uneasy while.

"I am sorry, but I think it's best for you not to come." Akira said finally. Akira had been the oldest amongst them, the leader of the group. "We're going to be there all day. You'd be late for your studies. And what if you hurt yourself? My father would be very angry at me if he found out that we took you along." They would feel bad of course, but they would soon forget about it.

"Maybe next time, Kazuki," Yukiko would hug him and kiss him on his cheek. But she would let go of him too, and make sure that her sticky fingers didn't accidentally smudge Kazuki's yukata.

"I'll bring you some pretty pebbles!" one of the twins, Kazuki wasn't sure which one, told him as they walked away.

For Kazuki, growing up in such a house had been something of a puzzle. He liked puzzles though, so that was okay, most of the time. He could never figure out what they wanted from him, though. Yamamoto-san would drag him away from the gardens to study inside, but when he wasn't looking Ichiji-san would sneak him out again. Then he would play with his pebbles by the fishpond as he listened Ichiji-san all but screamed at Yamamoto-san.

"The boy doesn't get enough time to play as it is," Ichiji-san would say.

"He doesn't have the luxury. The Master is dreadfully ill, Ichiji-san. And even when the Master claims otherwise, it is my duty to see that tge Young Master will be ready to be head of the family when..." Yamamoto-san would reply, with tobacco smoke swirling around him, leaving a dreadful aftertaste in the air.

"The family will have to cope with a few hours of play."

Silence usually followed, and Kazuki would pretend that he was completely engrossed in his pebbles and the fish in the pond. But, he knew that both Ichiji-san and Yamamoto-san knew that he wasn't entirely playing. Yamamoto-san would sigh and sigh and sigh, each sigh louder than the previous one. But he would always say, "All right, you old hag, he gets another hour, then it's straight to the library."

"Two hours, and I'll personally take him there." Ichiji-san would stand up and drag Kazuki away from the house. Ichiji-san would not wait for Yamamoto-san's reply, but Kazuki heard him anyway.

"One hour, Ichiji-san. And not a minute later."

But Ichiji-san would take him to the gnarled sakura tree just far enough from the house, and he would play on the mound, and the two of them would make old Yamamoto-san wait a further thirty minutes in the musty library.

It had always been like that, with surprising regularity. Kazuki thought that Ichiji-san and Yamamoto-san were just using him in their private little feud. Kazuki found it funny, the way the two of them act around each other. Because when Kazuki and Ichiji-san returned from their play, Yamamoto-san would fume and point at the clock (as he always did everyday), and Ichiji-san would just chuckle. She would usher Kazuki to his little desk, and would help him lay out all his inks and his papers and his books and would ruffle grass out of his hair. She would bow slightly to Yamamoto-san before retreating to a sunny corner of the library. She would arrange flowers with wires and clips and dead trunks. Then, she would present the flowers to Yamamoto-san, all pretty and done up, when study was over and Yamamoto-san thought that Kazuki had gone off to play.

But Kazuki would steal a peek and giggle to himself until his mother would find him.

"Have you finished your studies for today?"

"Yes, Haha-ue," Kazuki would say, as he tried to hide his giggles.

"Why don't you run along and play with your friends, then," she said, as she pushed him towards the front door.

"I can't. They're afraid of me," he told his mother, holding on to the sleeves of her kimono.

"Are they?" They would walk in silence toward the back of the house, to his mother's orchid garden and she would sit on a stone bench and he would sit next to her. He would not release her kimono, even though he knew he's strangling the silver crane embroidered there.

"They're afraid if something happened to me, then their parents would be angry at them. I told them that it's okay, that I will tell their parents not to be angry. I'm a big boy, Haha-ue."

"So you are," his mother would smile at him and make him sit on her lap, even though he's too old for that kind of thing. And too heavy, too.

"I miss them. I don't get to play with them as much anymore. I like having Ichiji-san with me, sometimes. But she doesn't like to climb trees or to run uphill. And when she's tired, which is often, she'll talk about things I don't understand..." And Kazuki would talk and talk and talk. He would talk about a lot of things that happened that day... which wasn't much.

"You must be lonely," she whispered into his hair. "I'm sorry for not noticing it sooner, Kazuki."

"It's okay, Haha-ue. I know you're busy." He would close his eyes and tighten his grip around his mother. "It's okay." And he'll have dust in his eyes, because he would never cry over something so petty like not having friends. Because he had friends. Only that...

"I'll find you a friend, somebody who could keep you company," she said, her soothing fingers combing through his hair. "In fact, I know just the right person. And he's quite near your age."

"Will he like me, Haha-ue?" He hoped that his new friend would like him, and not hate being with him. "I promise I'll share all my toys, and all my books, and all my pebbles with him."

"We can always hope, Kazuki." She kissed his brow and he sighed. "All will be right, you'll see."

She would have to talk to the Kakei-sensei about his son.

…tbc


	2. News Letter

**Part 2. News; letter  
**(_summary: the summons_)

Kakei-sensei smiled his thanks as his wife poured warm tea into his cup. It had been a good day for him. He had gone to check on the health of the Fuuchoin Master and had found that his Lord was in no immediate danger -- despite the Master's ever-failing health. Then, he followed the long way home - the scenic route - enjoying the gentle breeze, the small pebbles under his feet, and the blue sky over his head. His two children had greeted him as he stepped inside his home, then his wife had ushered all of them for tea in the garden.

He watched Little Sakura comandeer her brother around the garden. "Pick that up, Juubei, and move the pot over here..." And after a brief pause, "...please."

"It seems that my daughter saw it fit to re-arrange my garden," his wife said, as she sat next to him. They sat in companiable silence, content in keeping watch over their two treasures. "So... what news from the main house?"

Kakei-sensei smiled into his cup and nodded slightly. "In a minute," he said, taking his time to finish his tea. He had no thought of rushing anything that day. Too beautiful, too fleeting. He wasn't about to hurry the day for anything.

His wife tilted her head slightly and smiled. They continued watching their children play underneath the boughs of the great tree, between tall grass, and sweet-smelling flowers. The breeze picked up a little, ruffling the leaves. She was admiring the sky when she heard her husband put his teacup down onto the lacquer tray. She frowned at a small wisp of cloud, breaking the clear blue sky and turned to face her husband.

He fished something out from the folds of his clothes and offered it to her. "An invitation," he said, as she took the ornate envelope from his hands. He watched, mesmerized, as his wife's fingers traced the colourful prints on the washi, and the flowing calligraphy of the Fuuchoin master. "A kabuki," he continued. "Something about putting together a peformance for the Master's long acquaintance. Ah... collegue, I think."

His wife placed the ornate invitation to one side and began to pour more tea for her husband. "The children?"

"They're invited too. I think the Master would like Juubei to meet Kazuki," he said before taking a sip of the now cooling tea.

"They have not been introduced formally yet," she replied, knitting her brows together.

"Well, they're invited anyway, Sakura and Juubei. The rest is up to the Master," he tapped the side of his tea cup absently. "I'm sure he has plans, he always have these kind of mischief. I wish he would share them more with us, though. Saves us from heart attacks and such."

Kakei-sensei smiled a little, remembering his own formal introduction to the then Fuuchoin heir. It seemed like a long time ago -- like something that belonged to a different Age entirely. The then Fuuchoin heir had been a mischievous boy, he remembered. He wondered what the current heir was really like. He had met Kazuki a few times, but only fleetingly. The little boy had been painfully quiet and proper in all their meetings, but Kakei-sensei thought he saw a rebellious spirit tightly wound underneath knitted fingers and too-bright eyes. And if the boy's father was anything to go by...

He smiled and drew his wife into his arms, placing a delicate peck on her brows.

Under the vibrant sun, their children played. Grinning, Kakei-sensei could already picture Juubei returning home with stories of his escapade with the Fuuchoin heir.

--tbc


End file.
